Johannes Rydzek

Johannes Rydzek
Rydzek in 2023
CountryGermany
Born (1991-12-09) 9 December 1991 (age 33)
Oberstdorf, Germany
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Ski clubSC Oberstdorf
Personal best204.0 m (669.3 ft)
Oberstdorf, 17 March 2022
World Cup career
Seasons2008–
Indiv. starts268
Indiv. podiums44
Indiv. wins18
Medal record
Men's nordic combined
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang Individual LH
Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang Team LH
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi Team LH
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver Team LH
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Falun Individual NH
Gold medal – first place 2015 Falun Team NH
Gold medal – first place 2017 Lahti Individual NH
Gold medal – first place 2017 Lahti Individual LH
Gold medal – first place 2017 Lahti Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2017 Lahti Team NH
Silver medal – second place 2011 Oslo Individual LH
Silver medal – second place 2011 Oslo Team NH
Silver medal – second place 2011 Oslo Team LH
Silver medal – second place 2015 Falun Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2019 Seefeld Team NH
Silver medal – second place 2023 Planica Team LH
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Falun Individual LH
Updated on 30 November 2024.

Johannes Rydzek (German pronunciation: [joˈha.nəs ˈʁʏ.t͡sɛk] ⓘ; born 9 December 1991) is a German nordic combined skier. He became Olympic champion on the large hill in 2018 and won six World Champion titles at the Nordic World Ski Championships in 2015 and 2017.[1]

Career

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Rydzek has had a remarkable career in Nordic Combined, marked by numerous accolades at the World Championships, World Cups, and the Olympics. He debuted in the World Cup in Kuusamo in 2008.

He first gained international recognition with a bronze medal in the 4 x 5 km team event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Over his career, he has secured 18 World Cup victories, with his first win in March 2011 in Lahti, Finland. That same year, he earned a silver medal in the Large Hill Gundersen event at the World Championships in Holmenkollen.

Rydzek discovered his passion for Nordic sports at an early age, starting ski jumping shortly before his fifth birthday. Inspired by his father, a volunteer at the Four Hills Tournament, and his family outings on cross-country skis, Rydzek developed a fascination for the unique combination of speed and endurance in Nordic Combined.

At a young age, he can look back on some successes in his career, winning three silver medals at World Championships and a bronze and silver medal at Olympic Games. The resident of Oberstdorf, Germany, has another great achievement in his list of merits concerning the Summer Grand Prix. In the past four years, he has always been able to win at least one competition in front of his home crowd, crowning his success with the win of the overall SGP ranking in 2011. With four total World Cup victories, three in the past winter season of 2013/14, the young German has upped the ante and was hot on the heels of teammate Eric Frenzel, taking second place in the overall World Cup ranking.

By 2015, Rydzek had achieved unprecedented success, winning four medals at the World Championships in Falun: two gold, one silver, and one bronze, making him the most decorated athlete of the competition.[2]

The last break-through of Johannes Rydzek in 2015 became his nomination for the main sports award in Germany: "Sportspersonality of the Year" (German: Sportler des Jahres) 2015, where he was announced as a winner together with the nordic combined team (nomination: Team of Year) and ranked as 3rd in personal voting by German broadcaster ZDF.

In October 2016 Johannes Rydzek wins his 6th title of German Champion in the town of Oberhof.[3][4]

In 2017, Rydzek was named Germany's "Sportsman of the Year" after an extraordinary season, further cementing his reputation as one of the best athletes in the sport's history.[5]

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Rydzek won a gold medal in the Individual Gundersen LH/10 km Cross-Country, finishing before his teammates Fabian Rießle and Eric Frenzel.[6] This also marked the first time since 1976 that three German athletes managed to secure medals in the same Nordic combined event at Olympic Games.[7] On 22 February he clinched another gold medal in the Men’s Team competition with Rießle, Frenzel, and Vinzenz Geiger, solidifying Germany's dominance in Nordic Combined.[8]

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sport, Rydzek was awarded the prestigious Holmenkollen Medal in 2021.[9]

Personal life

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Rydzek is the brother of cross-country skier Coletta Rydzek.[10]

Record

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Olympic Games

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Event Normal hill Large hill Team relay
Canada 2010 Vancouver 28 — Bronze
Russia 2014 Sochi 6 8 Silver
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang 5 Gold Gold
China 2022 Beijing 5 28 —

World Championship

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Year Individual LH Individual NH Team Team sprint/
Mixed team
Norway 2011 Holmenkollen Silver 4 Silver Silver
Italy 2013 Val di Fiemme 10 30 — —
Sweden 2015 Falun Bronze Gold Gold Silver
Finland 2017 Lahti Gold Gold Gold Gold
Austria 2019 Seefeld 9 8 Silver —
Germany 2021 Oberstdorf 17 28 — —
Slovenia 2023 Planica 16 — Silver —

World Cup

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Individual victories

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No. Season Date Location Discipline
1 2010–11 12 March 2011 Finland Lahti HS130 / 10 km
2 2013–14 28 February 2014 Finland Lahti HS130 / 10 km
3 6 March 2014 Norway Trondheim HS140 / 10 km
4 8 March 2014 Norway Oslo HS134 / 10 km
5 2014–15 29 November 2014 Finland Ruka HS142 / 10 km
6 2015–16 23 February 2016 Finland Kuopio HS127 / 10 km
7 2016–17 26 November 2016 Finland Ruka HS142 / 10 km
8 27 November 2016 Finland Ruka HS142 / 10 km
9 17 December 2016 Austria Ramsau HS98 / 10 km
10 21 January 2017 France Chaux-Neuve HS118 / 10 km
11 27 January 2017 Austria Seefeld HS109 / 5 km
12 28 January 2017 Austria Seefeld HS109 / 10 km
13 4 February 2017 South Korea PyeongChang HS140 / 10 km
14 5 February 2017  South Korea PyeongChang HS140 / 10 km
15 2017–18 26 November 2017 Finland Ruka HS142 / 10 km
16 4 March 2018 Finland Lahti HS130 / 10 km
17 2018–19 11 January 2019 Italy Val di Fiemme HS135 / 10 km
18 2024–25 30 November 2024 Finland Ruka HS142 / 10 km

References

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  1. ^ "Johannes Rydzek - Athlete Information".
  2. ^ "Results: Johannes RYDZEK". fis-ski.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Deutsche Meisterschaften TEAM SPRINT". deutscherskiverband.de. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Official website". johannesrydzek.de. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Dahlmeier, Rydzek und Beachvolleyball-Duo triumphieren". spidel.de (in German). 1 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Nordic Combined World Cup". fis-ski.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Final Report – XII. Olympische Winterspiele Innsbruck 1976" (PDF). Organizing Committee for the XIIth Winter Olympic Games 1976. LA84 Foundation. 1976. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Olympic Winter Games – Men's Team HS140/4x5 Km". fis-ski.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  9. ^ Bryhn, Rolf; Sundby, Jørn. "Holmenkollmedaljen". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  10. ^ Jochen Klingovsky (29 November 2019). "Die Rydzeks leben ihre Passion". stuttgarter-zeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 25 January 2020.
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